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Topic Review (Newest First)

08-23-2014 08:02 AM

01blksvt

just want to say thank for this thread my imrc cable got some battry acid dripped on it where it runs under battery box and was split in two didnt know my car running so poorly though until the imrc box started making a grinding noise every time i drove it thought my car lost power because we moved to 8k ft above sea levelhttp://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_smile_duh.gif lol

05-17-2014 07:49 PM

mnewxcv

hey guys, I want to add a little info to this thread to save some headaches for the next person who has to do it. This is to show you how to figure out what is wrong with your IMRC once you open it up.

1. rotate the gears so the cable is pulled in.

2. Measure the circled points with a multimeter or ohm meter for resistance.

A. IF they measure 0ohms, relax! you do NOT have to desolder the pcb and remove it. The contact is not corroded to the point that it increases resistance. Your problem is elsewhere. Go to step 3.

B. IF they do not give a measure, the circuit is broken and there is no contact between the two points. Go to step 3.

C. IF they measure in excess of 0ohms, the connection needs to be cleaned to make a good connection. Desolder the 6 pin connector, remove the PCB from the box, and clean the contact as shown in post #1. Now test the points again. Should be 0ohms. Now, once this is done, it does not necessarily rule out further issues. You may need to continue to step 3 still.

3. You're issue is not the contact on the reverse side of the PCB! Good news, you do not have to desolder and remove the PCB. However, you have an issue with a circuit on the board, most likely a cold solder joint. Use your multimeter to measure resistance between points in line. They should have zero ohms of resistance unless they are going through a resistor. In my case, I had 5 cold solder joints that showed no connection at all. Pictured below are the joints that were bad on mine:

The 2 points on the 331 resistor as well as the 3 points on the black chip that resistor goes to were all bad connections. Everything else checked out fine. I do not know if this will be a trend, or if the cold solder joints will be random, but it seems coincidental that all 5 bad points are essentially in the same circuit of the board, so I would check them first to rule them out. Reflow the solder and retest for resistance. Should have zero ohms if you follow the circuit correctly.

hope this helps!

05-07-2014 01:58 AM

Fierceintent

Changed my imrc today and it made a difference. Only problem I encountered was trying to remove the air box, Make sure to just pull really hard straight. I thought it was bolted. Also getting the old cable off the plastic, I just got some pliers and broke the tabs. Gas milage is up. Thanks for write up!

01-12-2014 07:45 AM

termi-on

Thank you for the write up

01-11-2014 08:51 PM

dman25

this didnt work for me =( im gonna have to buy a new box, thanks for the write up though, it really helped!

07-03-2013 06:17 AM

bbcobra

Mine is good to go now. my gas mileage has also picked up some too.

07-02-2013 08:31 PM

macdiesel

Went oem and no more cel light since installing

06-26-2013 04:37 PM

DarkSVT03

Just bought the imrc. I'll let you know how it goes

06-25-2013 07:54 PM

DarkSVT03

Sweet ^^^^*
I'm buying one off a 99-02 cougar since its cheaper then the oem one :) thanks!!

06-25-2013 07:42 PM

bbcobra

ok, I can verify that a IMRC from a cougar (99-02) is the same as the focus. The cable is slightly longer (2 to 3 inches). I just put one on mine and it has fixed my issues. The old IMRC actuated the lever slowly then snapped back to the long runner position after starting and I think this was the whole problem. Probably a timing issue in the activation of the IMRC circuit. The replacement box actuates much quicker and holds there just like it's supposed to. Taking off is so much better with the added touque on the low end now.

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